What does royalty-free mean?Royalty-free is a type of license for copyrighted material such as images and video. This license permits you to use the images and video clips for multiple purposes without having to pay a royalty for each use. Under a royalty-free license, you can use the same image on your website and in printed material without having to pay for each use. There is no time limitation in using the image and licenses do not expire. All content on Bigstock includes our Standard Content Usage Agreement and are all royalty-free.

Once I download an image can I use it as often as I want?Our images are royalty-free, therefore you only pay for the image one time and the image is licensed to be used in multiple projects with the Standard Content Usage Agreement. The Extended License requires a license per project. There is a print limit of 250,000 pieces in the aggregate for each image. Print quantities that exceed this limit must be licensed under our Extended License Agreement.

Can I edit the photos I license from Bigstock?Yes, you may edit the images to suit your design needs. You may not make claim to the edited version, as the copyright always remains with the original creator.

What can I do with the images I download under the Standard Content Usage Agreement?Bigstock images are provided under a royalty-free license, which lets you use them in many ways, such as advertising, marketing collateral, social media, book covers, website design, etc.

A few important exceptions:*You cannot resell the images.*Under a standard license, you cannot use the images on a product where the image is a dominant feature, such as posters and postcards.*You cannot use the images as part of a logo or trademark under either standard or extended licensing.*You cannot use images of people in a way that a reasonable person would find offensive - please review the license for more specifics regarding this topic.*Some Bigstock images, such as those depicting celebrities or news events, are restricted for editorial use only.

When do I need an Extended License?An Extended License is required when an image is going to be placed on or within merchandise that will be sold. Items such as prints, poster, invitations, greeting cards, web templates, apparel and merchandise that will be sold would require the image be purchased under the Extended License. An extended license is $99.00 or 50 credits if using credits.

An Extended License is also required if an image, used under the terms of our Standard Content Usage Agreement, will exceed 250,000 copies of the image, in the aggregate.

Please also keep in mind that you will need one license per product type meaning that if you wish to use an image for t-shirts, mugs and posters, you will need to purchase the image 3 times under an Extended License.

The credit price for an Extended License is 50 credits. The cost of each license depends on which credit package is purchased. As an example, if you purchase 500 credits for $495.00, the cost of the 50 credits equates to $49.50 (USD).

What is the difference between the Standard and Extended License?If you are unsure which license applies to your usage please consider the following:

Print-run limitation: If you are planning to use an image for business cards and flyers and you will not print more than 250,000 items in total then you are covered under our Standard License. However, if the print run exceeds 250,000 you are required to download the image with an Extended License for each product that will exceed this quantity.

Products for sale: You will need the Extended License. If you are giving the items away for free (e.g. promotional items at a trade show) then the Standard License covers this usage, as long as the number of reproductions is below 250,000.

​Below is a general license comparison chart for the most common uses.

Can I use Bigstock images for my eBook?Under our Standard Content Usage Agreement, you may use our images for your eBook covers, as well as in the contents of the book (including multi-seat license electronic textbooks) as long as it is supporting the text and is not a primary feature of the book (such as a coffee table book, coloring book or a child's book of mostly images). In addition, the sale or distribution of the eBook cannot exceed 250,000 copies in the aggregate. If you expect this will be the case, the images will require anExtended License Agreement.

Can images be used on Social Media?You may use images on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, as well as blogs, newsletters, emails, etc. provided that no Content is: a) displayed at a resolution greater than the display resolution of the intended viewing device; or b) displayed as part of gallery, collection, album, archive, scrapbook or other aggregation of individual images and/or footage.

Can I use these photos in templates?Yes, however you must purchase an Extended License to use an image in a template. A template may be a website, business card, invitation, business and marketing material, etc. Whenever an item is offered for sale or distribution and requires customer customization, it is considered a template and does require an Extended License. For a complete explanation, please read our Standard Content Usage Agreement and ourExtended License Agreement.

Can I use images from Bigstock for my logo?It is prohibited to use content from Bigstock logos, service marks, trademarks or other copyrighted materials, under either of our license options.

Can others download the same photos after I do?Yes. The photos remain in our library and can be downloaded by any Bigstock customer. We do not offer any exclusive licensing at Bigstock.

How can I use editorial-use only images?An image labeled as “Editorial Use Only” is an image that cannot be used to advertise or promote a product or service. The people, objects or places in editorial images are not released. An editorial-only image is limited to non-commercial uses. Proper use of an editorial image includes using it to illustrate news, commentary or opinion in newspaper or magazine articles, blog or website posts, or in non-commercial multimedia presentations (such as film).